Roman villa at Woodchester
The Roman villa near Woodchester is one of the largest villa buildings in the Roman province of Britannia ( Britain ). Today it is in the parish of Woodchester , a village in Gloucestershire in England . It is of particular importance not only because of its size, but also because of its rich furnishings. The mosaic found here is the largest ancient mosaic north of the Alps .
The remains of the villa sit on a Cotswold hill overlooking a small tributary of the Frome . In ancient times, the villa was about 18 kilometers from Corinium Dobunnorum , now Cirencester , which was an important city in the fourth century. The remains of the villa are now partly under an old church, a cemetery and parts of the village.
The Orpheus mosaic found there is about 15 × 15 meters in size, the largest Roman mosaic found in England. It is dated to around 325 AD and was assigned to the Corinian school . Recent studies include the mosaic in the Orpheus Group . Until 1973 it was uncovered about every twelve years to show visitors.
The large mosaic of the villa is mentioned by William Camden as early as 1695 , after it was discovered by Edward lluyed in 1693, but was apparently already known at least to the people who lived there. Most of the villa was excavated by Samuel Lysons in 1794 . The results were presented in a publication that was outstanding for the time, for example the mosaic floors were drawn and published on color charts.
The villa has not yet been fully explored and the early publication leaves many questions unanswered. The first villa probably existed here as early as the second century. Most of the found building and its rich furnishings are dated to the fourth century. At the time, the complex was approximately 182 × 160 meters. It had a large central courtyard and at least two, if not more, courtyards around which the main buildings were grouped.
The large dining room had four columns and was decorated with the Orpheus mosaic. Other rooms were also decorated with mosaics. In total, the remains of at least 22 mosaics were found. A second upstream courtyard was surrounded on three sides by buildings that apparently served more economic purposes. Numerous rooms had wall paintings and fragments of various marble statues were found.
literature
- Stephen R. Cosh, David S. Neal: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume IV, Western Britain , The Society of Antiquaries of London, London 2010, ISBN 978-0-85431-294-8 , pp. 212-234.
- Samuel Lysons: An account of Roman antiquities discovered at Woodchester in the county of Gloucester , London 1797.
- Ian Archibald Richmond : The Plans of Roman Villas in Britain , in: The Roman Villa in Britain , London 1969, pp. 61–2.
Individual proof
- ^ W. Camden: Britannia, or a Chorographical Description of the Flourishing Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland and the Islands adjacent , 1695.
Coordinates: 51 ° 43'35.8 " N , 2 ° 14'1" W.